Do ratmen dream of the sacred tree of spirits?

Chapter 17 Opening Ceremony

"Knock knock knock, knock knock knock..."

"Um... what's wrong..." Fafnir mumbled, his mind a little hazy.

"Little Fafnir, it's time to get up. It's past six o'clock already. Wake up..."

It's Mr. Victor's voice!

Fafnir jolted awake and immediately rolled out of bed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Victor. I'll start mopping the teaching building right away. I apologize; I practiced meditation and clairvoyance last night, which may have drained my energy a bit."

"I can see that, haha, you're really working hard, keep it up!"

Victor smiled and said, "Little Fafnir, it's alright. Cleaning the teaching building can usually be done after seven o'clock, there's no need to go too early."

I just wanted to remind you that there's an opening ceremony today, at 8:00 AM sharp. We'll meet at the chapel next to the library.

"Okay, thank you!"

……

Fafner still chose to get up early to mop the floor. He first went to the logistics department, knocked on the door but received no answer, so he pushed open the slightly ajar door.

Fafnir grabbed a small mop and began his day's work.

……

Fafnir and Martha Allen arrived at the Church of the God of Death next to the library, where the opening ceremony was held in the church's main hall.

They stood at the back closest to the door, their clothes worn and somewhat out of place.

This church is one of the largest cathedrals in all of Lorraine, and its seats were neatly arranged and filled with people.

Most of them were students.

Of course, there were also some parents, most of whom had pointed ears, wore decent formal attire, and some were dressed in knight's armor.

Bishop Andrei and Mr. Victor are dressed quite formally today.

Fafnir saw Bishop Andrei and Monsieur Victor walk past him as they entered.

Mr. Victor even smiled at Fafnir.

Bishop Andrei no longer wore the long robe with faded cuffs, but instead put on a brand new black robe with several gold threads on the cuffs and golden raven feathers embroidered on the chest.

Mr. Victor also changed into the same clothes... To Fafnir's surprise, Sister Fanning was also wearing the same clothes and sat with them at the very front of the hall, where a row of chairs was placed.

At exactly eight o'clock, the bell tower finished its chime. Bishop Andrei stood up and began his address, which was essentially a welcome to the fifty-odd new students and an encouragement for them to study diligently.

—In addition to the new students at Lorraine Manor, there were also new students from Ryan City and several other satellite cities.

Then, Bishop Andrei began reading the list of new students. Each time a name was read, a student in the front row would stand up and bow to the surroundings.

As Fafnir listened, a thought struck him. These past two days, others had been using their spiritual vision to examine his bloodline, but he had never used his meditation and spiritual vision skills at school.

How many of these new students have elven blood?

Fafnavi closed his eyes and silently recited the "Commandments of the Church of the God of Death." His brow felt slightly warm, and runes of spiritual vision appeared.

The spiritual radiance of the newborns in the front row shone brightly—mostly pure gold, some brighter and some paler, with a few white spots mixed in.

It's truly dazzling.

Fafner seemed a little tired.

He looked down at himself.

A pale gray shimmer, thin and unstable, beneath which lay patches of black, pure and deathly black.

at this time,

The surrounding golden spiritual light seemed to sense something, shining in from all directions and crashing into the black holes, creating ripples on a spiritual level.

Fafnir felt a pricking sensation between his eyebrows, and a wave of nausea surged up from the back of his head.

The psychic runes seemed to be getting out of control; in his spiritual vision, pale gray light was gushing out erratically.

Then he met a pair of eyes, the eyes of a parent.

An old knight was staring at him intently, his gray eyes filled with nothing but disgust.

Fafnir's vision runes suddenly exploded, releasing spiritual energy and creating a faint, visible distortion in the air, causing several students in the back rows to turn around.

"Rat Man".

The old knight's voice wasn't loud, but the entire auditorium heard it, and Andrei stopped his speech. Martha and Allen both turned pale.

The old knight walked slowly over, his iron boots clattering on the stone slabs. He stood before Fafnir and looked down at him.

"Who taught you clairvoyance?"

Fafnir didn't speak; his mouth was dry, and his mind was still racing.

"Viktor Zaitsev taught him," Andrei said calmly from the stage.

The old knight's gaze lingered on Victor's ears—they were pointed.

"Aren't all the Paladins pure-blooded elves? My esteemed Bishop Victor, you're not a half-blood, are you?"

Bishop Andrei stood still, watching everything with his gray eyes, showing no intention of intervening.

"He's actually quite close to this ratman," the old knight said.

Victor's expression remained unchanged.

The old knight shouted, "What has the Church of the Death of the Holy Kingdom done to the grammar school? Even the rat-man staff have come out. You lot—" He paused, "teach the elf children here, what are you teaching them? How to study with traitorous good-for-nothings?"

He turned back and looked at Fafnir again.

Before Fafnir could catch his breath, the old rider suddenly clenched his fist and slammed it into his chest.

Fafnir was sent flying.

His back slammed against the stone wall behind him, the back of his head hit it, and he slid to the ground.

It felt like a hammer blow to my chest; I couldn't breathe, and my vision went black for a couple of seconds. When my vision returned, a metallic sweetness welled up in my mouth, dripping down my chin onto my robe.

blood.

He looked down and saw that the front of his robe was soaked, the dark red stain seeping into the gray fabric. He tried to speak, but his lips moved and another mouthful of bloody foam gushed out.

Martha screamed, and Allen shrank back in fright. The hall fell silent for a moment, and no one made a sound.

"Whoosh—"

Mr. Victor, Bishop Andrei, and Sister Fanning all arrived at Fafnir's side in an instant.

Victor seemed caught off guard by this turn of events and returned the old knight's punch.

"Bang!"

Victor knocked him to the ground with one blow:

"Priest of the God of War, you have seriously violated the laws of the Elven Holy Kingdom. Go and speak with the sheriff."

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Fafnir said in a muffled voice.

Victor pulled Fafnir up from the ground and patted the dust off his back.

Fafnir stopped and leaned against the wall. Martha and Allen surrounded him, and Fafnir waved to them to indicate that he was alright.

He glanced again at the spot where the old knight had just stood; the old knight had already been taken away.

But the disgust in those eyes was still before his eyes.

It wasn't directed at him, but at the dark holes beneath his soul. There was nothing in those gray eyes, only an instinctive loathing.

It wasn't hatred; hatred is too complicated. He simply saw the holes beneath Fafnir's spirituality and felt disgusted.

Fafnir turned his gaze away, lowered his head, and looked at the few drops of dark red that were still wet on the ground.

"Mr. Victor."